Dylan Garand and Joonas Korpisalo have been off to a nice start as a tandem, and the duo now has a new third-string option in Hartford following an out-of-nowhere Sunday trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Spencer Martin is headed to the Windy City, where he will likely report to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, while Arvid Söderblom will be taking his talents to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Söderblom is now the new "break glass in case of emergency" insurance option should the New York Rangers find themselves in need of another goaltender. It is a scenario they hopefully will never need to think about, though the timing of the trade is rather curious. Korpisalo recently returned from injury to join the Rangers on their road trip out west, and so far, so good for the veteran backup netminder.
Why the Rangers Moved On From Spencer Martin
Martin's only NHL experience this season with the Rangers was mop-up duty in a 7-1 loss against the New Jersey Devils after Garand got chased, and it was clear the front office didn't want him in the picture moving forward.
Goaltender | Age | Cap Hit | NHL Stats | AHL Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arvid Söderblom | 27 | $2.75M | 117 GP, 3.65 GAA, .885 SV% | 73 GP, 2.78 GAA, .914 SV% |
Spencer Martin | 31 | $880K | 67 GP, 3.62 GAA, .881 SV% | 246 GP, 2.86 GAA, .907 SV% |
That being said, it isn't immediately clear on paper that Söderblom is vastly superior at the NHL level. Across 117 career NHL games behind rebuilding Chicago rosters, he has posted a 3.65 goals against average and an .885 save percentage. Prior to Sunday's deal, he also carried a -6.12 GSAx per MoneyPuck alongside a 4.67 goals against average and an .842 save percentage in five appearances this season.
It isn't an easy enviroment to play in, and Spencer Knight had some interesting comments about the situation Söderblom was in.
Spencer Knight did not mince words when I asked him about Arvid Söderblom:
— Kalen Lumpkins (@kalenalumpkins) November 9, 2026
“I look at myself and the people in this room — (we) should be pissed off at ourselves for letting us allow that to happen. I think we put him in pretty shitty spots, to be honest with you.
I’m sure…
A Luxury Add and Mentor for Hartford
If there were any thought of keeping Söderblom in the NHL, it would be an expensive call considering he carries a $2.75 million cap hit. Even assigned to Hartford, $1.525 million of that cap charge will remain on New York's books which is a noticeable bump from Martin's $850,000 deal.
In the AHL, however, Söderblom has been reliable. He has logged 73 games with Rockford while posting a 2.78 goals against average, a .914 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 38-27-7 record, including two wins and a 0.99 GAA over the weekend. It is a solid track record, even if it feels like a "luxury" add of sorts for the Wolf Pack. After all, depth is only valuable if you trust it, and Söderblom's NHL numbers aren't worlds apart from the player New York just shipped out.
Söderblom will now form a tandem in Hartford with Callum Tung, a youngster who has been playing well thus far. Tung has gone 5-4-0 with a 2.10 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in nine games, a sizable improvement from last season's performance, which saw him split time between the AHL and ECHL.
If the Rangers' thought process was bringing in a younger netminder with over 100 games of NHL experience who can stabilize Hartford and mentor Tung, the move makes plenty of sense. Söderblom hasn't had an easy run in Chicago, but he is better equipped to handle that role than Martin was. We will have to wait to hear what Chris Drury says about the swap, though given Söderblom's age, cap hit, and pedigree, it feels like an intriguing depth play that could also be a precursor to other roster moves down the road.
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